Historic First-Ever State Record Gila Trout Caught PHOENIX – the Historic First-Ever Gila Trout Record in Arizona Was Caught on Feb
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APRIL 2011 OFFICIAL DESERT FLY CASTERS NEWSLETTER Gila Trout News Release This article was contributed and brought to my attention by our old DFC Trout Bum friend, Jim Harris. Jim now lives and works in, South Lake Tahoe, CA, as a Hydrologist, for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. (Thanx, Jim, nice to hear from you!- R.McKeon, Editor) Historic first-ever state record Gila trout caught PHOENIX – The historic first-ever Gila trout record in Arizona was caught on Feb. 28 from Frye Mesa Reservoir following the stocking of these colorful native salmonids into the reservoir near Safford on Feb. 27. Robert Woods of Flagstaff caught a 19¼-inch, 3.35-pound Gila trout at Frye Mesa Reservoir on Feb. 28 and brought it into the department’s Flagstaff regional office for verification. It’s not only the standing state record right now, it is also the first-ever record for this native fish. “Angling history is seemingly being made each time we turn around. These are exciting times for anglers in Ari- zona,” said Fisheries Chief Kirk Young. Here’s what’s been happening... The Arizona Game and Fish Commission on Feb. 4 created the first-ever season on native Gila MARCH MEETING: trout at Frye Mesa Reservoir on the Pinaleño Mountains in southern Arizona. It’s a 1-fish limit Wednesday, though for these trout – catch more and you can be cited (some already have been). April 12, 2011 “Arizona has never had an open season on Gila trout. They were thought to have been extir- Dinner and Chit-Chat: 5:30-6:30 PM pated from the state before we had regulated fishing seasons,” explained Young. Meeting- 7:00 PM- Sharp This has all been possible because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mora National Fish Hatch- ery in New Mexico had larger surplus Gila trout available that were not conducive for stocking American Legion Post #2 in small recovery streams. Those larger Gila trout were stocked into Frye Mesa Reservoir last 2125 S. Industrial Park Ave. week on Feb. 27. ....continued on page 6 in Tempe DFC Library- Gentry Smith I am pleased to announce the DFC has recently expanded its club library… Again! There are now 70+ items available for club members to check-out. The DFC library is another great resource offered by the club to its members and the best part is it’s absolutely FREE! Here’s how it works: Once members have paid their annual dues ($35), they are eligible to start utilizing the clubs many resources such as the library. We do require a $20 deposit per item to insure their timely return. Your deposit will be retuned once an item is brought back or you may simply exchange the returned item for another. Deposits can be cash or check, although checks are strongly encourage for those who wish to continue to borrow items on a monthly basis. This way we can simply hold onto your check without cashing it, while you enjoy item after item. With all this fly fishing media now available, what are you waiting for? Take advantage of the DFC library at every club meeting and expand your world of fly fishing! Now Available in the DFC Club Library! Bass: The Movie – This year Howard Films went on a road trip for America's most infamous underwater creature: The Largemouth Bass. We wanted to see this fish up close & personal, but were not sure how it could have the drama of a saltwater fish haunting white-sand flats. So, we spent a year looking around for the right place to start our odyssey. And yes, unlike Location X, we ARE going to publicly reveal our locations when we are done shooting. See fly rod pros match skills with spin gear pros - & show why the next big thing in light tackle fishing is upon us: A fish that lies just out of sight & hits you every Desert Fly Casters Supports BARBLESS HOOKS time like the first swing in a bar fight. We loved every minute of it. ....continued on page 6 CATCH & RELEASE DFC APRIL 2011 PROGRAM... We are pleased to have Ed Lawrence from Montana as our April speaker. Ed will discuss fishing on some of the classic Montana Rivers: The Madison, Yellowstone, Missouri, Big Hole, Beaverhead and the Gallatin. He will discuss the bugs and tactics, and how they change over the course of the season. Who is Ed Lawrence? He loves to fish, but he loves it when others have success. As a child, he wanted to be a Supreme Court Justice, but he couldn’t hack law school, so he became a marketing whiz. Then he spent years as a successful free lance writer. He swapped racing sailboats for fly fishing, then learned the guide ropes from pillars of the guide community before hosting his first client. That’s when he realized he’d rather help others, than fish. He’s not as old as he sounds, and acts much younger than his age. LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS BEHIND WHEN WALKING THE PATHWAYS OF OUR ARIZONA ENVIRONMENT Desert Fly Casters Those who have known me know that I have fished the Ferry for years, not just for the fishing but to be withfriends living there and overwhelming unique scenery of the canyon. This might have been my 100th trip, I am not sure but this time it was for another reason and that was to experience using switch rods to fish my coveted water. LEE'S My fishing partner for this trip was my 2nd cousin and therefore I was to take an alternate route to the canyon. It was 3:00 PM as I headed for Payson to visit my cousin for the evening. After one and a half hours I was at my favorite Payson liquor store stocking up for the evening and the fishing days ahead of me. I FERRY arrived at the door of my cousin and was greeted with a smile as he noticed the goods in the bag I was carrying. We it would be out for Mexican food home for some scotch and an evening of western movies. Surprisingly I felt very good in the morning. Thank goodness for the water I drank along with my favorite TRIP beverage. After breakfast it was off to pick up Shane just down the road. We packed his gear and headed Story from our DFC Trout Bum north on the alternate route I had indicated earlier. Past Clint Wells while admiring the snow still left from buddy: Gary Walsh the week’s previous storm we soon were admiring Mormon lake and then to a near a full Lake Mary. The drive is 20 miles farther than the I17 route but the scenery made it worth the extra minutes to complete the trip. I highly recommend it to the Mesa residents of the club. After arriving I guided Shane on his first deep nymph drifting of the walk in area. The water was higher than I expected but still quite fishable. After rigging and explanation of the necessity of the free drift Shane took to the waters. His 2nd drift was cut short by a 14 inch rainbow in full spawning colors. It was at least another 50 minutes and a short walk until the waters granted Shane his 2nd fish. This was a better fish, in color and at least 18 inches long by estimated measurement of my hands and in full spawning color. The next drift ended in a birds nest and since we both caught drift of the sent of scotch in the air we decided to call it a day. For those who have never eaten at Cliff Dwellers please try it the next trip up. I have never had a bad meal while visiting the canyon country of Vermillion and Cliff Dwellers. Before dinner we stopped in the fly shop and asked for a tape measure as I placed my hands thumb to thumb the reach of my pinkies read 17 inches it used to be 18 inches. At 64 I guess those appendages have also shrunk. My nose is much bigger, my ears are much bigger and my feet have grown one full size in 5 years. Sadly, everything else seems to have gotten smaller. Such is life. We were greeted in the morning by Terry Gunn and a new guide in training Tyler and within minutes were again awe struck by the beauty of the canyon and the warm temperatures that allowed us to travel in shirt sleeves after the sun had risen above the canyon walls. Our first stop was at 4-1/2 mile where we fished dry fly dropper with regular rods. Shane and I both caught several decent fish but not sufficient in numbers to satisfy Mr. Gunn. We left to try drifting with Terry’s Sage 5wt and 6wt, 11 foot switch rods. We used the rods in the typical overhand method instead of spey casting. What I found very promising was the ability to lift 30 to 40 feet of line off the water with ease and in a single back cast then forward place it back on drift pattern. Mending became very simple especially while drifting in the boat. At one time both Shane and I had our lines pushed forward of our indicator from a slightly faster side current than our drift. We each had about 40 to 45 feet of line out and by lifting the rod and a slight mend upstream the full line corrected to the required slack and drift of our flies.